ELECTION 2018: Dem hopeful Clegg says he’s been fighting for district for 36 years

This is one in a series of profiles of the Democratic candidates seeking the party’s nomination in New York’s 19th Congressional District.

By Ariél Zangla

azangla@freemanonline.com @arielatfreeman on Twitter

David Clegg said he has been serving and fighting for the people of New York’s 19th Congressional District for 36 years, which sets him apart from the other Democratic candidates seeking to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. John Faso in November.

“The work that I’ve been doing as a trial lawyer, where I’ve taken on predatory corporate conduct, making sure I represent people who are working class ... has put me in a position to challenge the control corporations seem to have in Congress,” Clegg said Wednesday. He said he is concerned with the control big corporations like Walmart, the National Rifle Association and those tied to fossil fuels seem to have.

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Clegg added he feels the NRA controls Republicans in Congress and while those politicians are starting to talk about gun violence for the first time in memory, “I suspect they’re not going to get anything done.”

In his career, Clegg said, he has also fought against racial injustice and worked to make his community a better place to live. In addition to being a private practice attorney, Clegg is a deacon with St. James United Methodist Church, is chairman of the Ulster County Human Rights Commission, and sits on the boards of Family of Woodstock, Caring Hands Soup Kitchen and Midtown Rising.

Clegg, of Woodstock, is one of six Democrats seeking the party’s nomination to challenge Faso in the Nov. 6 election. The others are Jeff Beals of Woodstock, Antonio Delgado of Rhinebeck, Brian Flynn of Elka Park, Gareth Rhodes of Kerhonkson and Pat Ryan of Gardiner.

A Democratic primary in the 19th Congressional District is scheduled for June 26. The winner will run against Faso, a first-term congressman from Kinderhook.

The district comprises all of Ulster, Greene, Columbia, Sullivan, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego counties; most of Dutchess County; parts of Rensselaer and Montgomery counties; and a small section of Broome County.

Clegg said his priorities include passing Medicare for all, reforming the nation’s tax code and protecting democracy.

Medicare for all would transform the country and benefit everyone, Clegg said. He said it would enable everyone to have quality health care without having to make the choice between paying the rent or paying for medicine.

“The cost would actually be less than what we’re devoting to healthcare right now,” Clegg said. He said healthcare currently costs the nation 18 percent of its gross domestic product. Clegg said adopting Medicare for all would allow the nation to provide complete healthcare, including nursing home care, for much less.

And part of the Medicare for all bill being considered in the House would require that the cost of medication be negotiated with pharmaceutical companies, Clegg said. He said that would mean people in America are not paying six times more for a drug than someone in Canada does, even though the product is made in the United States.

On the tax code, Clegg said he wants to ensure large corporations are paying their fair share and that the nation does all it can to help entrepreneurs start their businesses and create new jobs.

“The tax bill was a trillion and a half giveaway that we can’t afford,” Clegg said of the Republican-led bill adopted last year. He said large corporations are not paying their fair share in taxes but are still reaping the benefits. By giving that money away, the country cannot afford to invest in infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, and broadband, Clegg said.

Clegg added that he would be in favor of taking away the “uncalled for” corporate tax breaks and loop holes the fossil fuel companies tax advantage of. He said he would rather provide those incentives and invest in clean energy.

“Clean energy jobs are some of the best paying out there,” Clegg said. He said the future is in clean energy.

Clegg also said he would fight against climate change and do more to protect the environment, which includes making sure more PCBs are removed from the Hudson River. He said more has to be done to also protect the district’s farmlands and farmers. The federal government gives 94 percent of its subsidies to large agriculture businesses, but more needs to be done to help family farms, Clegg said. He said he has a friend who is an organic farmer that cannot obtain federal subsidies because he would need to hire three people just to handle the necessary paperwork.

On immigration, Clegg said it is a topic he has been addressing as part of the Ulster County Human Right’s Commission. He said there also needs to be a clean Dream Act, which is not tied to other immigration issues such as funding for a border wall.

“I think that’s unconscionable,” Clegg said, of using the Dream Act as a negotiation tool.

Clegg said he also feels education is an important issue. He said there needs to be an investment in education to make sure young people receive the training they need to fill the jobs that are available.

There also needs to be campaign finance reform to take away the undue influence corporations have on government, Clegg said. He said when politicians have to keep donors happy, it skews their opinions and takes away from serving the people.

Additionally, Clegg said he has fought for women’s rights and will continue to do so. He said in his trial work he has represented many women who have been the subject of discrimination and harassment. Clegg said he is also pro-choice, and feels the nation needs to provide pay equity, as well as fully support Planned Parenthood.

Clegg received a bachelor’s degree from SUNY New Paltz in 1974 and a juris doctor from the University at Buffalo in 1977. He and his wife, Karen, have two adult children. Clegg has had his law practice in Kingston for the past 36 years.